What do a restaurateur, a school superintendent, and the president of a once-Ukrainian, now-Minnesota-based, robotic company have in common? They all attended our State of Manufacturing® (SOM) survey event in Duluth.
Drawn by the promise of manufacturing in Minnesota, the eclectic group was among hundreds who attended this year’s SOM events. I would bet that before Enterprise Minnesota launched the survey –– and the events we hold each year across the state to share the data –– these three never would have connected.
We launched the SOM in 2008 to go beyond providing quality data about the challenges and opportunities manufacturers expect to face in the coming year. We aimed to provide an unparalleled opportunity to connect manufacturers to each other and their supporters across the state.
Since its beginning, the survey has regularly brought the manufacturing community together through both the regional focus groups we conduct to supplement the poll’s findings and the Greater Minnesota survey data rollouts, such as the one in Duluth. Before these rollouts became a permanent fixture on the manufacturing calendar, manufacturers tended to operate very independently in their facilities across the state, quietly working to improve and expand their businesses.
We certainly understand that manufacturers’ primary objective is to strive for growth, and our team of Enterprise Minnesota consultants supports them as they do. But we also suspected there was value in the way our SOM-related events could help manufacturers build connections with each other and increase visibility with the public at large.
The focus groups and rollout events create a synergy in the manufacturing community, allowing participants to share concerns and solutions, network with potential customers and suppliers, and forge relationships with those institutions and professionals that support manufacturing. When there are policy concerns, as there are this year, they can commiserate and strategize. When there are business cycle concerns — think supply chain bottlenecks and worker shortages — they can learn how others are approaching those challenges. When business is booming, they can celebrate together.
The rollout events have also helped convene manufacturers with policymakers, educators, other business professionals, economic development interests, granting organizations, and the media. In short, these events fulfill the goal of serving as the nexus for manufacturing by convening like-minded people with the common goal of helping manufacturing thrive.
Nowhere was that connection more evident than at the SOM data rollout in Duluth in January, where the three participants mentioned above crossed paths. Twenty years ago, there simply wasn’t a forum that promoted such connections. Though each had different motivations for attending the event, they all took advantage of the rich networking opportunities they found there.
Eduardo Sandoval-Luna, owner of Oasis Del Norte, has expanded his food truck and catering business into a brick-and-mortar restaurant and is interested in learning about how he can manufacture and distribute his food for broader consumer sale.
John Magas, superintendent of Duluth Public Schools, has support from key area companies to expand his district’s curriculum to include advanced manufacturing, and he enjoyed sharing his plans with our audience.
Al Johnson, president of BotCrew, was eager to discuss how the company is faring in the wake of recently enacted paid leave requirements.
Each of these participants, and the 53 others who joined them, demonstrated the critical role of the SOM survey. It gives us an opportunity to showcase invaluable data, but more importantly, its related events give diverse individuals in the manufacturing ecosystem opportunities to connect with us and each other.
Return to the Spring 2025 issue of Enterprise Minnesota® magazine.
